Spanish life: why Spartak and Rubin were led by Carcedo and Artiga

Juan Carcedo, who was appointed head coach of Spartak in January, starts working in a new post, Rubin fired Rashid Rakhimov and appointed Frank Artiga in his place. Carcedo signed a contract with the red-whites until the summer of 2028, Artiga - with Kazan until the middle of 2027. The prospects of the two Spanish specialists in the RPL are described in the Izvestia article.

"A few days ago, Emery wrote..."

The news of the official appointment of former Pafos coach and Unai Emery's long-term assistant Juan Carcedo to Spartak did not cause much excitement. Firstly, timing — during the holidays, people prefer to do family things, thinking little about the problems of their favorite clubs, whose players are also on vacation. Secondly, the name of the new coach was discussed back in 2025, there was no surprise. Thirdly, globally, Carcedo is a nouname, from which almost no one knows what to expect. And fourth, and most importantly, the fans already seem to be getting tired of this swirl of specialist names. Hopes are pinned on everyone, but they are constantly not fulfilled. Well, what difference does it make who becomes the next such passing "abascal"?

Here's just the paradox: there is a feeling that it was with Carcedo, who caused a weak response by Spartak standards, that the red and white could hit the target. Someone will smile.: Once again, the usual cycle is high expectations, which then shatter into reality. But Juan Carlos really has the most positive reviews. This was not the case, for example, in the cases of Guillermo Abascal and Dejan Stankovic.

In the fall, Spartak's athletic director, Francis Cahigao, almost pushed through the candidacy of the inarticulate Luis Garcia. Many experts have rightly said that it should be a shame to offer a Russian top club a figure who has not done anything remarkable at the highest level in his career. But Carcedo on paper looks like a strong choice for Kahigao. In it, according to reviews, everything is in moderation — both rigidity and democracy, and remembers about the attack, and does not forget about defense. He knows how to keep a team as good as Stankovic, but unlike the Serb, he is also good at football moments and tactics.

The championship title with Paphos in Cyprus is great, the club won gold for the first time in its history. But a decent performance in the Champions League is even more significant. There, with a modest budget, three strong opponents passed through in qualifying, and at the main stage, defeats occurred only from very monsters — Bayern and Juve. With a victory over, say, Villarreal and a draw with Monaco. Plus Carcedo already worked at Spartak during the short stay of the titled Spanish coach Unai Emery in Moscow.

— A few days ago, Emery wrote: "You can improve what we started last time!", said a lot of good things, Carcedo told Izvestia. — At first, my family and I wanted to stay in Cyprus. But in the end, we decided that Spartak was a huge chance. I talked to my wife, and she reminded me that my time here in Russia was very good. I learned a lot at Spartak. This is the first foreign club in my career! Therefore, now that I have gained experience, I believe that our headquarters is well prepared for such a challenge.

Carcedo in the current conditions, when top specialists will not go to the RPL for obvious reasons, is one of the rather interesting options. But the Spaniard does not guarantee Spartak's success at all. For a long time there has been a feeling that the problems of the red and white are not in the composition, collected for tens, if not hundreds of millions of euros. And not in the coach. It's about the decision-making system and the competencies of managers. And signing Carcedo should be just an excellent litmus test. Unlike a number of previous specialists, Juan Carlos has a reputation in the football world as a strong coach. If he fails, it means that the reasons should be looked for somewhere higher in the hierarchy of the club.

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Statistical advantages

Rubin Kazan also made a choice in favor of another Spanish specialist. Rashid Rakhimov, who has been in charge of Rubin since April 2023, was replaced by Frank Artiga. The 49-year-old coach has experience working in Russia — he collaborated with Khimki and Rodina.

Until recently, the Spaniard coached Petra Athletica from Angola. He won the National Super Cup, was in first place in the championship and was preparing to play in the African Champions League. The club's leaders wanted to keep the specialist, but Rubin paid substantial compensation for him: the local press reported 700,000 euros. During the farewell to the players of Petru Atlético, Artiga could not hold back tears.

Frank signed a contract with Kazan until the summer of 2027. The agreement will provide bonuses for team achievements. Together with Artiga, two of his assistants will arrive in Kazan — Tunisian Anis Boussaidi and Spaniard Josep Tejedo. Both previously worked at his headquarters in Khimki.

This season, Kazan finished in seventh place with 23 points during the winter break. The team has three wins in the fall and only scored one goal in the last seven games. Rubin also crashed out of the FONBET Cup of Russia (Path of the Regions) in November, losing to Arsenal Tula (0-0, 2-3 in a penalty shootout).

Nevertheless, for many, Rakhimov's dismissal came as a big surprise. The Russian coach took over the team in the First League, and after returning it to the RPL, it gained stability. 8th place in the first year after returning, 7th place at the end of last season and 7th place now. The squad, which at first consisted mainly of unknown players, is now listed as one of the most solid in the league. Daku is one of the best strikers in the championship. Staver is one of the best goalkeepers. Rozhkov, Teslenko, Gritsaenko, Kabutov are a line of defense made up of Russians who have made decent gains under Rakhimov.

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An unimportant stretch of the last seven rounds: only two draws and one win, over Akhmat. And Daku scored only one goal, with seven goals conceded. But sometimes even the biggest clubs face such periods. The question is, why did such a series arise?

On an authoritative resource transfertmarkt.de in the table of cost of RPL lineups, Rubin occupies the same 7th place as in the tournament table. In two years, the amount has almost doubled, from €25 million to €48.6 million. At the same time, according to transfertmarkt, over the 18 rounds of the 2025/26 championship, the cost of Kazan increased by 5%, while only three RPL clubs - Baltika, CSKA and Lokomotiv — had a greater increase.

Rubin has been playing with a short bench since the start of the season. When 39-year-old Oleg Ivanov turns out to be a constant choice for replacements, this indicates a limited resource. Rakhimov's contract ends in the summer, and it seems that this is the right moment to evaluate what is happening and make a further choice. Because Kazan definitely won't be eliminated and definitely won't be among the medalists.

Apparently, it's all about the difference of views on what is happening. It is appropriate to quote the Kazan edition of Business Online: "Rakhimov's requests for transfers began to sound too often, and the results were not convincing enough to bet on him further."

The club's management believes that Rakhimov has reached the ceiling at Rubin and further progress should not be expected. Let's see what Artiga shows.